The spread of COVID-19 in Alabama is worse today than it was yesterday, and in all likelihood, it will be more devastating tomorrow.
The realities of the moment challenge us to be strong, resilient and persistent.
On Sunday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in the state passed 1,800, with 45 reported deaths. Those numbers represent real people, our fellow citizens, friends and loved ones.
The latest figures coming from the state may be only a hint of what’s next.
More of us will survive this disease than succumb to it, but we will all feel it, even naysayers and deniers.
The fight against this pathogen is not a sprint that will end swiftly; it is a marathon. Therefore, perseverance is critical. In sports, as in life, perseverance separates the winners from the losers.
Winston Churchill said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
As a state and a nation, the times demand we keep going without fear.
These are not the worst of times; these are trying times that will pass. This is not a happy talk but a message from history. History teaches that humans are adaptive and, therefore, survivors.
It doesn’t mean that horrible things aren’t happening; they are.
People are sick, some are dying, but all the while along with doctors, nurses and health care providers, there is a legion of ordinary Alabamians doing simple things that in the context of this calamity are extraordinary.
Individuals who deliver groceries, stock shelves and cook take out are putting themselves at risk so others can eat. The same can be said of thousands that are keeping essential services open.
These individuals are displaying the very essence of perseverance — the will to push forward when it would be easier to quit.
In George S. Patton’s speech to the Third Army during World War II, he delivered many memorable lines that are not easily quoted in a general publication. Patton was fond of profanity. But many apply to our current situation.
“Sure, we all want to go home. We want to get this war over with. But you can’t win a war lying down,” Patton said.
We will win if we don’t give in and don’t quit.
This isn’t hell for all, but it is for some.
Now is a time for each of us to do what we can to ensure that we all survive.
My mother was fond of quoting scripture and sometimes with her own unique twist.
Galatians 6:9 was one of her go-to verses.
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.”
She would say, “Now, that doesn’t mean you won’t get woozy, or that you won’t need to take a knee. It says don’t faint — never give up.”
Then she would round it off with, “‘Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,’ to heck with the flesh, it will follow where the mind tells it to.”
What we do now will determine who we will be as a state and nation once this pandemic subsides. Will we be better, stronger, and more humane, or will we further cocoon into tribes who are weaker, disparate and frightened?
Fear not, fight on and don’t faint.
